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Report regarding a second public hearing to receive input from the community regarding the redrawing of election district boundaries. (Rosa Govea Acosta, City Clerk and Douglas Yoakam, National Demographics Corporation)
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RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
It is recommended that the City Council: 1) receive a report from staff and the demographer on the redistricting process and permissible criteria to be considered to redraw district boundaries; and 2) conduct a second public hearing to receive public input on district boundaries.
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BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION
Every ten years, cities with by-district election systems must use new census data to review and, if needed, redraw district lines to reflect how local populations have changed. This process, called redistricting, ensures all districts have nearly equal population. The redistricting process for the City of South San Francisco must be completed by April 17, 2022.
The city adopted its current district boundaries on July 11, 2018, based on 2010 census data as required by law. The districts must now be redrawn using the 2020 census data and in compliance with the FAIR MAPS Act, which was adopted by the California legislature as AB 849 and took effect January 1, 2020.
Under the Act, the council must draw and adopt boundaries using the following criteria in the listed order of priority (Elec. Code §21601) for general law cities:
1. Comply with federal requirements of equal population and the Voting Rights Act.
2. Geographically contiguous.
3. Undivided neighborhoods and “communities of interest”.
4. Easily identifiable boundaries.
5. Compact (do not bypass one group of people to get to a more distant group of people).
6. Shall not favor or discriminate against a political party.
By law, the city must hold at least four public hearings, at an affixed time, to inform the public about the process and solicit community member input before adopting a final map:
• At least one public hearing before Council draws a map;
• At least two public hearings must happen after Council draws a map;
• At least one hearing, or workshop/community meeting, must be held on a Saturday or Sunday.
The public is requested to provide input regarding communities of interest and other local factors that should be considered while drafting district maps. A community of interest under the relevant Elections Code for cities (Section 21601(c), 21621(c)) is a “population that shares common social or economic interests that should be included within a single district for purposes of its effective and fair representation.” Possible features defining community of interest might include, but are not limited to:
• School attendance areas;
• Natural dividing lines such as major roads, hills, or highways;
• Areas around parks and other neighborhood landmarks;
• Common issues, neighborhood activities, or legislative/election concerns; and
• Shared demographic characteristics, such as:
-Similar levels of income, education, or linguistic isolation;
-Languages spoken at home; and
-Single-family and multi-family housing unit areas.
The public is encouraged to provide input via email at redistricting@ssf.net.
PROPOSED REDISTRICTING SCHEDULE
The proposed schedule for the redistricting process is outlined in the chart below. As directed by Council, the City Clerk's office will begin outreach to the community and attend scheduled city events to allow the community to participate in the process. Community members that require translation services, including American Sign Language, may solicit these services in advance
(72-hours) to the City Clerk's office.
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Date |
Details |
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January 18, 2022 |
Final deadline to submit maps for consideration |
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January 26, 2022 |
3rd Public Hearing to discuss and revise draft maps |
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February 23, 2022 |
4th Public Hearing to discuss and revise draft maps |
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March 9, 2022 |
Adopt final map as ordinance |
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November 8, 2022 |
District election with new districts |
MAPPING TOOLS
Paper maps for community members to submit are available online and at City Libraries, City Hall, the MSB and Public Hearings. NDC will assist the City with the launch of Caliper’s Maptitude Online Redistricting mapping tool and DistrictR mapping tool, that enables residents to draw neighborhood and "community of interest" boundaries in the comfort of their homes. Draft maps will be posted on the city’s Redistricting website for public viewing.
NEXT STEPS
The City Council will conduct the second Public Hearing tonight to seek additional public input on communities of interest, and the composition of maps. Following the hearing, members of the public can begin drafting maps using the public mapping tools which will be posted to the website.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact associated with holding this public hearing.
CONCLUSION
It is recommended that the City Council: 1) receive a report from staff and the demographer on the redistricting process and permissible criteria to be considered to redraw district boundaries; and 2) conduct a second public hearing to receive public input on district boundaries.